#meanwhile the dude is just so freaking obsessive. to the point of scaring the people around him.

[thattiredsock]

I’d much rather Christine not have a remake, but don’t think is gonna be that bad as long as Bryan Fuller doesn’t find out about Roland D. LeBay

[edda-blattfe]

You are absolutely amazing!!! Can you do more on how the boys would react to the movies?

Daaaww, thank you, darlin’! *cackcles maliciously* I will gladly do so! 😆

(I’ll just do the house leaders for now. If y’all want me to do any of the other characters send in an ask and I'll be happy to answer.)

Alice in Wonderland

- “What even is this movie?” -Leona, before falling asleep on Mal’s shoulder. He woke up at the end when Alice was getting chased down and had no clue what was going on.

- Almost everyone is confused, except for Riddle and Kalim. Those two are oddly invested in this film.

- For whatever reason, Riddle just does not like Alice from the very beginning. Maybe it’s the “know-it-all” attitude or that she’s completely hopeless in a world that makes perfect sense. Whatever it is, he won’t stop glaring at the animated girl and muttering insults towards her at every opportunity.

- Azul had to stop himself from questioning the movie’s logic. There is no logic, just absolute madness.

- Every time the Queen yells “off with their head” Riddle giggles....it’s getting kinda creepy tbh.

- Kalim is the only one who liked the “it was all a dream” ending. Riddle was disappointed that little blonde brat didn’t get her head lopped off. Meanwhile, everyone else was just glad it was over.

The Little Mermaid

- The movie’s opening sequence actually grabbed everyone’s attention immediately! Even Idia found himself swaying along to the music while Kalim and Azul hummed the tune.

- Vil is surprisingly enthralled with the animation and underwater backgrounds. The artists must have poured so much effort into their craft to create such beautiful scenery, he can’t help but admire it!

- Azul finds Ariel interesting. Her naivety makes her weak, yet she has such a fiery spirit gives her a streangth he can’t help but admire.

- Ariel: I’m 16 years old, I’m not a child!

Kalim: You tell him, girl!

Riddle: Yeah!

Leona: *scoffing* Kids.

- *Fletsum and Jetsum show up on screen*

Leona: Hey, it’s Jade and Floyd!

Azul: *does a trouble take* ...They do look similar, don’t they?

- Azul was the only one who felt the ending should’ve been different. After all, Ursula was only trying to keep her contract! Why should she be punished for that?

Aladdin

- Another great opening. The desert scenery has Kalim jumping in his seat as it reminds him of home, he even tries to sing along to “Arabian Nights” despite not knowing the lyrics. A month from now he’ll be annoying Jamil with the little ear worm.

- Leona wolf whistled the moment Jasmine appeared on screen AND I SHIT YOU NOT, KALIM PUNCHED THAT CAT WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT AND IT ACTUALLY HURT A LITTLE!!! HE WASN’T EVEN SMILING IT WAS SO FREAKING WEIRD!!! KID WAS ACTUALLY ANGRY, WTF?!?!?! But then they found out she was 15 in the movie...Vil went ahead and smacked the back of Leona’s head for good measure.

- Iago really grew on Idia. How could the underground sass master not love that salty bird?

- Azul: If you had three wishes-

Riddle: Don’t you dare finish that question! You’ll just use our answers to try and cut a deal in the future.

Azul: How do you know I wasn’t genuinely curious?.......Pft! No, never mind. Not even I can believe that!

- Malleus does not understand why all of the protagonists are getting married when they’re literally children. But whatever.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

- Leona fell asleep again during the opening credits. That’s what happens when you open up with soothing music and no animation.

- Snow really doesn’t strike Vil as a significant character, she lacks any sort of spunk and just looks like a child. Yet, she’s the fairest in the land? He swears the mirror must be lying. It has to be of the Queen thought she was the fairest in that outfit!

- Malleus: Isn’t that your throne?

Vil: You’re thinking of the Pomefiore throne, certainly looks like it. It is an heirloom passed down from the Fair Queen herself. The artists truly captured it’s splendor, I’m impressed!

- Azul was impressed by the huntsman’s ruse to fool the Queen, it was quick thinking on his part. Also gave him time to get out of dodge before she found out the truth. Too bad she didn’t respect his convictions, he would’ve made a great ally.

- Kalim: I wish animals would come when I sing.

Idia: I-it’s probably not as fun as you think...imagine the noise they’d make.

- And just like that, Grumpy becomes Riddle’s favorite Disney character after the Queen of Hearts.

- After the hag’s death scene, Vil is visibly shook. Like he just saw his life flash before his eyes and it was ugly as the witch.

- Everyone is confused when the prince just carries Snow off without saying anything. Not a word! Is that really ok? Isn’t she like 14?

The Lion King

- Malleus actually found himself admiring Mufasa. Not only did he strike him as a competent ruler, but also a responsible father. The only thing our fairy king can fault him for is allowing his brother so much freedom. If he had done something, anything, his family and kingdom wouldn’t have had to endure all of that suffering.

- Simba’s cocky attitude kinda got on the Savanaclaw leader’s nerves at first, but the kid slowly grew on him. How many kids could force themselves to permanently leave home, much less run through a desert until they faint from exhaustion? Points for determination. Then he grew up into a totally chill dude with no cares, no responsibilities, or worries? What Leona wouldn’t do for that! Was really disappointed when Simba chose to leave his carefree lifestyle in order to save the kingdom that was already in ruins. He could kinda understand why the kid would choose that, but come on! That boy really had it good and Scar was bound to die at some point, why not wait until then? Leona doesn’t say it, but he thinks Scar would’ve actually liked his nephew if he’d only stop obsessing over the kingship and got to know him a little.

- *Grown up Nala enters scene*

Leona: Well, someone grew into a fine huntress~

Vil: She’s a lion. An actual, quadrupedal lion. No human aspects whatsoever.

Leona: Your point is?

Idia: S-she is...kinda pretty...

The other leaders: .......

Idia: *goes back into his emo corner* never mind....forget I said anything...

- You know that scene where Simba pins Nala down and she totally gave him the bedroom eyes? Yeah, Kalim and Riddle weren’t allowed to see any of that. The parents Vil and Azul immediately covered their eyes. WTF Disney, isn’t this supposed to be a kids movie?!?! It didn’t help that Leona kept jokingly telling Simba to “get some”.

- The hulla scene has inspired Scarabia’s next party. The other leaders are already placing bets on how Jamil will react to the news.

- Scar being slaughtered by his Hyena army is gonna haunt Leona for the rest of his life.

Hercules

- Azul is LIVING for the muses’ musical numbers.

- Idia doesn’t like how “bright” Hercules is. He’s just way too optimistic for our gloomy boy’s taste.

- Riddle: That’s the underworld? It looks like the Ignihyde dormitory!

Idia: Which is exactly why it’s perfect!

- *Megara shows up*

Leona: That girl is bad news.

Riddle: She’s the love interest, she can’t be bad news.

Leona: Kid, I have experience with women. Girls like that always have an ulterior motive.

*a few minutes later, when Hades shows up*

Leona: I should’ve put money on that bet.

- The more famous Hercules gets in the movie, the more Idia low key hates him.

- Kalim actually started crying when Megara died. He cheered up when Hercules saved and delivered her soul, but that was a rough few minutes for the kid.

Sleeping Beauty

- *Maleficent does her thing with the curse*

Kalim: The witch cursed Aurora just cause she didn’t get an invite? WHO DOES THAT?!?!

Malleus: You wouldn’t?

Kalim: ........

the other leaders: *Concerned*

Malleus: Flora wanted to turn her into a flower. At least Maleficent gave her a chance to live!

- Without having to say a single word, the boys unanimously agree that Flora is the absolute worst. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

- Something about Aurora caused Malleus to go perfectly quiet....it was a little unsettling. He watched her scenes with cold, distant eyes. It was almost as if he were watching a ghost.

- Leona almost fell off the sofa upon hearing Mal softly sing along to “Once Upon a Dream.” No one was expecting him of all people to sing something so romantic. It didn’t sound too bad, to be honest.

- If anyone liked the end of the movie they were too scared to say so. Mal’s aura had grown oppressive within the span of the film. He promptly excused himself during the credits and didn’t come out of his room until he next day.

[sueboohscorner]

OUTLANDER S3 Ep8 : "First Wife" or.....The Bitch Is Back

Okay, so I will admit it.  I didn't hate this episode as much as I thought.  It was actually a pretty good episode, so I give kudos to the new writer who wrote this one.

So, just as we found out at the end of the episode, Jamie and Claire are taking Young Ian back to Lallybroch. We are spared the tedious long journey across the country from Edinburgh and we see them come through the archway.  Claire admits that she never thought to see that place again.  However, the greeting she receives is not as welcoming as she thought.  Jenny makes a few snide comments towards Claire. "So that's why your home, tail dragging and with a stray who's dropped back into our lives after 20 years as though nothing's changed." 

Everyone heads inside and of course Young Ian has to chime in that Auntie Claire killed a man only a day after she arrived.  "Killed him good!" he boasts.  Claire sees the dirty looks and adds that yes, it wasn't her fault, the man attacked her and most importantly it wasn't in front of Young Ian.  Young Ian is ordered from the room and to make sure he is easy to find when it is time for an ass whooping.  

The conversation turns on Jamie and keeping the secret of their son's whereabouts.  Jamie says he thinks of Young Ian as a son himself and would do anything to keep him safe.  Well, Ian speaks up and hands Jamie his belt.  If he thinks of Young Ian so much like a son, then he has to discipline him as such.  In a change from the book (I mean God forbid we see a spanking on screen....especially being in the 1700's!), Jamie suggests that there is another way to punish the boy. Jenny adds a snide remark to her brother, “Listen to you telling me what I should do. You must ken it’s a mortal sin to take another wife while the first still walks the Earth!” Jamie replies that he would have never done such a thing if he had known that Claire was still alive.

 A little while later we see that Young Ian is made to work in the muck and straw which he complains to his sister, hanging out laundry, that it is little kids work.  He's miserable. LOL! Meanwhile, Claire sees that the Fraser/Murray family breeds like freaking rabbits.  She meets a few of Young Jamie and his sister, Margaret's kids running around.  Both Young Jamie and Margaret were just babies themselves when Claire left.

Jamie and Jenny have a moment to themselves and Jenny asks where the hell Claire has been all these years.  Jamie just gives her the half truths as with everyone else.  He got Claire to safety and he went back to Culloden prepared to die.  She, thinking he was dead, boarded a ship and sailed to America and she has been living in Boston until now.

Jenny is not stupid by any means and can smell a lie a mile away.  She tells Jamie, "The Claire I kenned would never have stopped looking for you."  Well, Jenny, it is expensive and dangerous to cross the ocean on those boats and there is no easy way to do research from over there.....so......

In their room later that evening, Claire asks Jamie why they can't just tell Jenny the truth about her time travelling abilities. After all, it worked with Murtagh.  Jamie's answer?  That Murtagh was a worldly man, meaning he has been around and traveled and more open minded. Jenny has never been off the estate and she just wouldn't see it the same way and be as open to it.  In my opinion, that is the DUMBEST answer ever.  Basically calling Jenny a simpleton.  Not cool dude.

Jamie suggests they could build a nice cottage for them both on the outskirts of the estate.  Claire isn't so sure, as Jenny can't even stand the sight of her.  Jamie remembers back to when he thought she might have come back and tells her how he escaped Ardsmuir prison after hearing the ranting of Duncan Kerr about a white witch that guards the treasure.

Here we get to see the part missing from that episode when Jamie swam to Silkie Island to search for Claire.  The swimming of that sea must have been ice cold and in reality you have to think he might have gotten hypothermia or something. However, a wet, distraught, and desperate Jamie climbs up to the old ruins on the island and starts screaming for Claire.  Jamie's voice over is telling Claire that of course he didn't find her, but he turned and looked in just the right direction and saw the McKenzie clan crest etched into a stone.  He removed it and found a box that held ancient coins, some jewelry and some precious stones.  He knew he couldn't take it with him, so he just grabbed one sapphire, which we know is the one he gave to Lord John.

Jamie tells Claire he would have given everything to be with her again.  He tells Claire,  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Sassenach…” We know he is about to admit to Claire about remarrying, but the door bursts open and two girls, one with red hair, are there and one yells "Daddy!" 

Before Claire can totally react to that, the girl's mother appears.....none other that the bitch Laoghaire!  Told you people you wouldn't like it!  She looks at Jamie and then sees Claire and yells about him being with THAT WITCH and some other choice words I am not allowed to repeat here. 

She sees Claire's confused reaction and takes advantage and gloats “He didn’t tell you?” Laoghaire asks. “He’s my husband now.”  Claire is stunned and Jamie rushes Laoghaire out of the room. 

Claire in a shocked stupor, but anger rising by the minute, starts to gather her things to leave.  Jamie re-enters the room and tries to stop her from going.  Claire turns on him saying, “It’s Laoghaire,!“She tried to have me killed!” Jamie answers “You’re the one who told me to be kind to the lass." Claire scoffs and says, “I told you to thank her, not marry her!”

Claire asks the ultimate question we have all been wondering, why did he feel it okay to tell her about Willie, but NOT about his other wife, Laoghaire?  Jamie admits that he was scared that she would be upset and leave and he didn't want to lose her again. 

The fight escalates  and Jamie throws over a washstand and contents.  Then the true feelings are revealed.  Jamie feels abandoned by Claire leaving which she scoffs at since HE is the one that sent her away.  Claire says that she feels betrayed that Jamie was able to move on with his life without her. Jamie replies that he resents the idea of Frank raising his child and screwing his wife.  He asks Claire if she knows what it is like to live without a heart for so long.  Duh!  Claire answers that she does, she and Frank did not have a great marriage but he was a great dad to Bree.  After some more, Claire tries to leave again, Jamie grabs her arm, she demands he get his hands off of her and let her go, he refuses and they end up overcome with passion.  This would have been an awesome fight sex scene. They both end up trying to rip each other's clothing off and are on the floor grunting when none other than Jenny bursts in and throws a bucket of water over them.  She tells them to stop rutting like two wild animals and that the entire household could hear them.  Well, can't tell them to "get a room"....they already were there. Claire walks out leaving Jamie breathless and in shock on the floor.

Downstairs Claire is staring into the fire and is asked if she wants a whiskey.  It is Jenny's other daughter Janet.  She hands Claire the whiskey and asks for her apologies.  She was the one who went to summon Laoghaire.  Claire asks why and Janet admits it was because her mother told her to do it.  

Claire goes to confront Jenny and asks her why she did it.  Jenny said she had to watch her brother suffer all those years and then admits to seeing Claire's ghost (in the book it is her "fetch") inbetween Laoghaire and Jamie at the wedding.  Jenny asks why Claire, in 20 years never bothered to write.  Not once.  Claire tries the excuse that she thought Jamie was dead, but it is evident that Jenny isn't buying it.  Jenny makes a remark and Claire admits to having another husband in Boston as a matter of survival.  That makes Jenny stop.  Jenny admits to seeing Claire as a sister and it hurt that it seemed she wanted nothing to do with the family by not writing.  Jenny says that it is apparent that there is more to the story, but maybe Claire will tell her the rest someday.   It is a good moment between the two.

Claire is walking past the outbuildings heading out.  Jamie yells to her and she ignores him.  He pleads with her not to go, but she says she made a HUGE mistake in coming back here.  She reminds Jamie that he said that he promised not to lie and had her say it too.  He LIED this time. 

Before they can argue anymore, Laoghaire appears and has a gun which she points at Claire.  "He's mine." comes up (I am getting images of an episode of Bones here....mental lady obsessed with a man).  She is about to shoot and Jamie steps in front of Claire.  Laoghaire accidentally shoots the gun and buckshot gets Jamie's arm.  Laoghaire tries to come to Jamie's side, but Claire turns vehemently on her and actually scares her away.  LOL!! 

Doctor Claire comes out and they get Jamie on a table. Jamie makes a comment and Claire says that she is tempted but will not let him die. Ian is sent for hot water and Claire gets her tools and is assisted by Young Ian.  It is not easy, since it is buckshot and there is one piece lodged near an artery.  However, Claire is successful and gets him bandaged up. 

He is resting with Claire nearby and when he stirs, Claire asks why he married that woman.  He claimed that upon returning from Helwater, he had been away from Lallybroch too long. 

He was like a ghost and not needed.  He felt empty and possibly a little lonely especially at Hogaminy (Christmas  / New Years) when Lallybroch was alive like it was when his parents were alive. Two girls come up to him and ask him to dance and he decides to do so.  Afterward, he discovers that their mother is Laoghaire.  She had been married a couple of times, and now was alone trying to raise her girls by herself.  Jamie continues that it was okay at first, but there were days she wouldn't talk to him and she would recoil at his touch.  He tried to be gentle, but it was never enough.  She must have been sexually abused in her past marriages.  He eventually left and ended up in Edinburgh and would send money home.  Jamie starts to doze and Claire looks at him and feels his forehead.  He has a high fever.  She gets out the penicillin and the needle.  Jamie tries to protest and asks if it will hurt and Claire jabs him in the ass.  Yep.

The next day, Ned Gowan comes to visit and Claire is surprised to see that he is still alive and almost looks exactly the same.  He is there to counsel Jamie on his most unfortunate circumstance named Laoghaire.  Well, the good news is that since Jamie's first wife, Claire has returned, they are still married and the one with the other woman is not.  However, the bitch wants something in restitution.  20 pounds plus 10 pounds a year until the girls are wed.  Jamie and the family discuss the extortion of this woman and Jamie says it is his to bear, not Jenny and Ian's.  He remembers the treasure on the island, but because of his arm, he can't swim across to get it.  Young Ian offers himself, and Jamie admits the boy is a "brawny swimmer".  From there, they will head to France to meet up with cousin Jared who will be able to exchange the goods for sterling which he will send home to get to Laoghaire. Jenny of course, hates this idea, but eventually gives in to allowing her youngest son to be a man and gain experience and adventure (don't worry....lots of that coming up in the future!)

Claire and Jamie stand on a cliff watching Young Ian swim out to the island.    Claire starts to wonder if her and Jamie are still meant to be together.  Jamie tells Claire about a type of bird that when hunting it and you kill one, you must wait until morning for its mate to arrive and then kill it too or it would mourn itself to death. 

He says that Claire and he are mated for life.  He would not live without her (again).  Before they can get any deeper into their conversation, Claire notices something and has Jamie turn around.  It is a ship!  Jamie looks for Ian and sees him coming down from the ruins with the box.  However, the ship has dispatched a boat of men, who come upon the island. 

Jamie and Claire run down to the shoreline and are yelling to Ian when the men grab him, and throw him in the boat.  Great.....Jenny is going to LOVE THIS ONE!  

So that is where it ends this week.  Finally we will be on the open sea next week for more adventure.  

Tell me your thoughts in the comment section below!  Overall I would say a B+ for this episode!

[captcrieff]

I basically wrote my own ending to “The Final Problem”

I had issues with the episode, and at 2am my brain decided the solution was to write a new ending and also an entire season 5 to deal with it. Don’t judge me.

Okay, so. It just feels like they couldn’t figure out how to solve the plane problem. They raised the stakes, and couldn’t figure out a way for Sherlock to be the hero. Solution: don’t. Make him be a failure - that’s when the audience feels for him the most. Make the plane real, and John’s situation real, and the whole thing with Victor Trevor - make Sherlock choose. The plane is real. Sherlock chooses to prioritize saving John because of course he does. The plane crashes in the middle of London. It hits the Thames, and everyone onboard dies. It’s a tragedy, but it’s actually very lucky that the plane didn’t hit a building or something like that. But Eurus gets away and somehow spreads the idea that Sherlock, and specifically his failure, is the reason it crashed in the first place. The public, who have been eating up Sherlock and his stories, turn on him. The little girl is a symbol of his failure.

Mycroft is still alive. He’s locked in Eurus’ old cell in Sherringford island. Eurus herself, and several staff members, are missing. Sherlock and the now saved John contact Scotland Yard, and the police (y’know, after the whole plane crash issue) quickly organizes to take back the island. The remaining staff are captured and incarcerated because there’s no way of knowing if they’ve been compromised, and Mycroft comes to realize that he may be as well.

The rest of his little council (Lady Smallwood, the other ones I can’t remember the names of) basically usurp power from him, telling Mycroft that his bad judgement allowed Eurus to pull this all off to begin with. Guilt-ridden, Mycroft sort of agrees. We see him contemplate how the decision to incarcerate Eurus led to this. We see him question his own choice to keep her isolated, and how that may have affected how she viewed the world. So he steps off the chessboard to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Big Brother is now no-longer watching. The safety net is gone.

Meanwhile, Eurus is still at large. She sort of showed her hand, revealing that she has an obsession with Sherlock himself and refuses to let him come to harm. However this obsession has also revealed a massive jealousy she has for the people around Sherlock. Why do they get her brother’s love and attention? Why didn’t she deserve friends like this? They’re very similar in her mind, but she grew up away from any sort of support of human connection while Sherlock had both those in spades, relatively speaking. From a clinical standpoint she wants to see how that makes them different. But also she both craves Sherlock’s attention and also hates him for the affection others give him. She wants to punish him for having loved ones.

So she basically does a call out. Like “Remember when Moriarty had snipers on all your beloved friends? Remember when you had to jump? This is going to be so much worse. Solve my puzzles or your friends die.” And she basically sets up a series of mysteries. All of the mysteries are related to someone Sherlock cares about. Molly, Greg, John, Mrs. Hudson, even Billy. Irene. But part of the mystery is WHO it’s related to, and how.

Like someone comes in with a case like “I think my husband’s cheating on me, and now I think he’s run off with a woman” and it turns out that the husband isn’t cheating, he’s actually been doing a lot of illegal gambling. He’s been winning too, and dressing better and surprising his wife with suspiciously nice things because of it. But he can’t explain the money so doesn’t tell her about it, so the wife is left to assume he’s guilty or dressing to impress someone else. Then one night the husband loses and can’t accept it, so it turns into a double or nothing situation, and the antes get bigger and bigger until it’s like “Alright, if you lose you have to kill someone” and the target is DI Lestrade who put the other gambler’s brother in prison where he killed himself. Something like that. Mysteries that put someone Sherlock cares about in danger, but he doesn’t know how or why.

So Sherlock tries to keep his friends close, for their protection. Because he’s scared. His increasing fear of failure as a protector is starting to affect him. Sherlock believes he’s the reason that Mary died, that he should have been better at saving her. He doesn’t even 100% believe John should have forgiven him for that. So he insists on keeping tabs on all the people he loves, which is made more difficult by the growing resentment the public has for him. He goes to NSY to check on Greg, and the police call him names and give him dirty looks. Freaking Anderson is there and tries to be understanding, but that somehow just makes it worse. He tries to keep an eye on Molly, to make sure she’s safe and apologize. But it turns out she just can’t do this. Even with Sherlock’s explanation of why he asked her to say what she did, it still hurts to much for her to be around him. And Sherlock doesn’t know how to deal with that. AND it turns out Molly has other friends, and those friends are more than happy to shield her from the fallen-from-grace detective who got a little girl and a whole plane full of people killed.

Sherlock has to move in with Rosie and John because 221B is still all blown up. For a while he refuses to let John out of his sight, to the point where John blows up at him and says that he can’t do this. He’s struggling at being a single father and he can’t handle the stress of trying to look after Rosie and Sherlock, because Sherlock hasn’t been taking care of himself. He’s been putting it on himself to be the clever detective solving all these crimes and the 24/7 Watson bodyguard at the same time. He’s stretching himself too thin. He needs a night off - why doesn’t he go see Irene? She’s alive, and Sherlock clearly cares for her. Actually, why hasn’t Sherlock been looking into her to begin with? She was threatened too wasn’t she?

Sherlock refuses to answer. He instead talks about Molly. She loves him and all it does is hurt her. She should hate him for it. He hates himself for it. Now he’s doing the same with John, and John’s affection for him is becoming a burden on John’s life. Things were so much easier back before, when he didn’t care about people. And John says “Sherlock, if you had kept going on like you were then you wouldn’t have gotten yourself killed” and Sherlock’s sort of like “Well wouldn’t that have been better? If I was dead none of this would be happening” and it sort of feeds into flashbacks of Sherlock talking to Eurus, how she had been faking she was suicidal and how Sherlock reacted to it. Back to he hospital room, where Sherlock was saying “I don’t want to die” and him now questioning whether that’s true. And John just CANNOT.

John’s like nope, you’re my best friend, and the godfather of my child, and I love you. It doesn’t even have to be a romantic love confession, I just want John to say that he loves Sherlock, that Sherlock is important to him. And even if all that love brings him is hurt, he wouldn’t wish for Sherlock to be gone from his life. He talks about how even if something hurts, the love is still worth it for all the good things it’s brought him. Mary was worth it, even with all the pain she brought him. And John understands because he’s been there - he’s been at that point wondering if life is worth it, and it was Sherlock Holmes that brought him out of it. Everything was worth it. And Sherlock is like “How can you say that? How can you say my friendship is worth it when I got Mary killed?” And John’s like “Listen, I know I said that it was your fault because you didn’t protect her, but that was the grief talking and I KNOW it isn’t your fault, I don’t blame you.”

And Sherlock goes “No, it was my fault, I put her in danger. I got cocky and had to be overdramatic and it’s my fault she thought she had to save me.” And John’s like “...Sherlock, just how do you think Mary died?”

Sherlock tells him the whole bit. The other agent, the shoot out, the discovery of the secretary who was behind it all, the confrontation at the aquarium. The secretary having a gun and Mary jumping in the way of the bullet. And John’s just staring at him, not sure how to handle this. And he’s like, “Sherlock... Sherlock that isn’t how it happened.” And Sherlock’s confused and he’s like “Of course it is, you were there John, we both were-“ And John’s like “No, Sherlock. Remember.”

And it turns out the stuff with the other agent IS true. There was a shoot out with Ajay, but the police didn’t burst in and kill him. Ajay got away, and John and Mary had a huge fight because Mary didn’t want to go back and put John in danger, and John refused to let her go alone because he wouldn’t be able to face himself if he didn’t at least try to protect his wife. In the end Sherlock convinces Mary that she’s actually the best person to have around to protect John, because she knows how Ajay works. They all go back to London.

Sherlock figures out that the betrayer is actually the secretary, that part’s true. But there’s never a big confrontation at an aquarium. Sherlock finds her at work, and instead of coincidentally referencing a story Mycroft used to taunt Sherlock with as well as quoting Moriarty (and maybe there’s even a little flash back of her “Why does anyone do anything?” with the shaky voice on a phone from years past, reading the same question while fighting back tears), she’s just arrested. Sherlock texts both John and Mary for them to be there for it. Sherlock then goes to secretly track down Ajay and tell him the truth: that Mary didn’t betray him, and that the woman who did has been captured. Mary secretly follows him, and while Sherlock’s trying to convince Ajay of the truth, the dude’s skeptical and thinks he’s being lied to. He pulls out a gun. Sherlock doesn’t manage to calm him down before Mary reveals herself (thinking she can talk sense into him) and Ajay shoots her. Sherlock is shocked, appalled, wrestles the gun from him and shoots Ajay. Neither Ajay or Mary dies - not immediately. Sherlock calls an ambulance, then calls John. The police come and take Ajay away (his wounds aren’t super severe) and Mary is rushed to the hospital. John meets them there. Mary dies in the hospital, in John’s arms. John, in a fit of grief-ridden rage, accuses Sherlock of not protecting her well enough. Sherlock, certain that this is all his fault, convinces himself of a dramatic scenario where Mary died literally jumping in front of a bullet for him.

Obviously hearing all this means that Sherlock can’t trust his mind, and he goes into a mind-palace spiral. He starts ripping at the walls. He’s not sure what’s real anymore, and all his memories are rebelling on him. The previously calming picture of Redbeard in his head becomes a dead little boy dripping water on the floors. Water fills up the palace, sharks are everywhere, and Mary’s bleeding out on the floor. But then she’s not - she’s in a hospital bed and John’s accusingly shouting that this is Sherlock’s fault. Moriarty is there, taunting him, asking him if Sherlock’s even sure he really died. Or did Sherlock just imagine him putting a hole through his head? And Sherlock’s like “No, no, I know for certain you’re dead! I’m positive of it! There’s proof, there’s no way you’re still alive!” And then there’s another voice saying “If you’re so sure about him, why aren’t you sure about me?”

And Sherlock turns around in his flooded and ransacked mind palace and it’s Irene. She’s there, and Sherlock starts remembering. The whole part at the end of ASIB, it was a fantasy. Sherlock never flew around the world to save her from a daring execution. She died - for real. Sherlock imagined rescuing her. So he comes out of it and realizes he’s sobbing, and John’s trying to calm him down, and he’s like “You want to know why I haven’t been looking into Irene?” and John’s kind of like “Sure, Sherlock, tell me why” and Sherlock’s like “Because she isn’t alive.” And John brings up the ring tone, trying to reassure Sherlock. And be like “I was there for that too, how could it be fake?” and Sherlock sadly brings up his phone, saying “If I still know myself well enough to deduce...” and he reveals that at some point he set an alarm on his phone. And every year on his birthday, or new years, or whenever it goes off with the ring tone and an alert that just says “Happy Birthday - IA” or something like that

Sherlock is fully broken. He doesn’t trust his mind anymore, and it’s the one thing he’s always counted on. He says this much to John. And John basically is like “You can count on me, Sherlock, you always can. Your my best friend and I love you and I’m not going anywhere.” And that’s when the story starts to take a turn. John calls Greg in for backup, because he needs help figuring out just how to deal with a problem this big. And we start to see a more protective Greg, one who cares a lot about Sherlock and has always been trying to look out for him. We learn a bit about Sherlock’s junkie days and how Greg helped clean him up. Sherlock talks to Molly, admits that he wasn’t lying when he said he loved her. That he doesn’t love her like she wants him to, but that she’s important to him and he needs her in his life. Basically just Sherlock actually admitting to these people’s faces that he cares about them. The foursome of John, Lestrade, Molly, and Mrs. Hudson kind of become Sherlock’s sounding board. They work together to reinforce what’s real in his brain. Sherlock starts going back and reading through John’s blog about the old cases, just to remind himself what really happened. We actually see Molly and Mrs. H help on cases; they provide intellectual bridges and insight that help solve the puzzels Eurus is leaving.

And obviously Eurus isn’t just sitting around while this is happening. She’s going public - playing out theoretical ethics thought experiments in real life. Like the trolly problem, but literally. There’s people tied to train tracks and she forces someone to choose who lives and dies. The survival lottery, or the Heinz dilemma, or other classic ethics questions. And all the while he’s trying to get into Sherlock’s head just like she got into everyone else’s. She wants to figure out how her traumatic upbringing, locked up for her whole life without psychiatric help, makes her different from Sherlock. And she wants to make Sherlock see things her way, with the same sort of emotional detachment. But Sherlock’s got people backing him up now, and he comes up with a plan to start seeding the false idea in Eurus’ mind that it’s worked. That he’ll do whatever she says. But he seeds this idea in the audience’s mind too, and we don’t know he’s only faking. It culminates in a big final confrontation where Eurus tells Sherlock to kill John, and Sherlock seemingly does. He pretends to break down and appears to try and take his own life again, and Eurus herself intervenes this time. Only - surprise! John’s not dead. The whole thing was a stunt they pulled off. They out thought her in the final hour and figured out what she’d do. Sherlock just needed time to remember her and get to know her before he could predict her actions, like he’d been doing with everybody else before. John takes Eurus down, the police rush in to capture her, and she’s apprehended. Eurus can’t seem to wrap her head around the idea that her own sentimentality was the fault. She doesn’t understand how her own emotions and obsession with Sherlock led to her capture. In her mind she’s transcended the rest of humanity. She’s better than them, so she can’t have fallen to the weakness of caring for her brother, it doesn’t make sense! It’s made apparent that while she’s a genius, she’s also a deeply mentally ill person in a way that hasn’t fully sunken in until now. She’s taken away, and Sherlock admits that seeing John pretend to die bothered him a lot, and John’s like “But you know it wasn’t real, right? It didn’t happen, Sherlock.” And Sherlock smiles a little and says “I know.”

We see Lestrade at a press conference talking about the Eurus situation, about how all these crimes were coordinated by her, and giving credit to everyone involved. We see Sherlock in therapy again, talking with John’s old therapist. We see Mycroft released from psychiatric assessment and reunited with his job. We see the public, still mistrustful of Sherlock, slowly start to warm up to him again with the few desperate cases rising in number, but not to the scale of criminal masterminds from before. We see John moving back into a refurbished 221B, and in the process of moving boxes he finds one of Mary’s old possessions. In it is the video, meant to be found a long time ago, and John and Sherlock watch it. We get the wrap up epilogue, but now with fewer questions about how everything turned out okay, and 100% fewer ghosts of the past to haunt us.